Crime

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of (a) burglary, (b) sexual assault, (c) rape, (d) grievous bodily harm, (e) robbery, (f) violent disorder, (g) possession of a controlled substance, (h) intent to supply a controlled substance and (i) vehicle theft were recorded in Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency in each of the last three years.

James Brokenshire: Data for the Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency is not collected centrally. The constituency falls within the combined community safety partnership (CSP) areas of Blackpool and Wyre. The available statistics for these combined CSPs are given in the following table.
	
		
			 Offences recorded by the police in the combined community safety partnership areas of Blackpool and Wyre 
			 Number of offences 
			 Offence 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Burglary 2,454 2,309 2,245 
			 Sexual assault on a female 105 126 110 
			 Sexual assault on a male 12 12 28 
			 Rape of a female 52 70 100 
			 Rape of a male 6 3 8 
			 Inflicting GBH with intent 252 170 240 
			 Inflicting GBH without intent 104 82 104 
			 Robbery 177 171 175 
			 Violent disorder 1 3 1 
			 Possession of controlled drugs (cannabis) 324 436 440 
			 Possession of controlled drugs (excluding cannabis) 330 364 401 
			 Trafficking in controlled drugs 308 123 124 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 515 386 345 
			 Theft from a vehicle 1,270 965 909

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from her Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Damian Green: The department's published carbon footprints for 2009-10 of 48,601 tCO2 and 2010-11 of 42,155 tCO2 are based upon energy consumption of all measurable buildings and employee rail, car and air travel while on official duty.
	Carbon dioxide emissions from our buildings are falling against the 2009-10 baseline, due to investment in energy saving infrastructure and tighter controls. This has helped us to achieve a reduction of 17.6% as part of the Prime Minister's target to cut carbon emissions from key central Government offices by 10% in the 12 months to 13 May 2011.
	Carbon dioxide emissions from travel have also fallen as we have rationalised our vehicle fleet and introduced measures to restrict business travel in favour of alternatives such as telephone and video-conferencing.

Departmental Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees of her Department were re-deployed to cover the work of staff involved in industrial action on 29 and 30 June 2011; and what the cost was of (a) overtime payments including travel time, (b) time off in lieu of overtime, (c) travel, accommodation and subsistence costs and (d) bonus and other payments for this purpose.

Damian Green: During the industrial action on 29 and 30 June 2011, a total of 394 employees from a variety of grades were re-assigned to manage the UK Border Agency’s (UKBA) strategic priorities of maintaining border security and managing the vulnerable in our care. The total cost associated with this centrally co-ordinated critical incident planning exercise are not yet available but the accounting process has identified, as at 12 July 2011, a total of £8,398 in related expenditure.
	In Home Office HQ, the Identity and Passport Service, the Criminal Records Bureau and in areas of UKBA, work not covered by the centrally co-ordinated re-deployment exercise managers made local arrangements where necessary to ensure that the essential work of the Department continued. Details of these local arrangements are not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) recruited and (b) made redundant from (i) her Department and (ii) each non-departmental body for which she is responsible since May 2010.

Damian Green: The following table has been compiled using Office for National Statistics guidelines for work force management reporting.
	There has been an external recruitment freeze in place across the civil service since 24 May 2010. The only exceptions to the recruitment freeze are for the graduate fast stream, and truly exceptional business-critical and frontline appointments. External recruitment is only allowed once every effort has been made to fill a role internally, from staff in the redeployment pool, or from elsewhere in the civil service. The recruitment freeze and targeted voluntary exit schemes helped reduce the headcount (paid civil servants) of the Home Office and its Executive agencies from 31,459 on 1 June 2010 to 28,162 on 30 June 2011. The largest proportion of the 3,297 reduction has been achieved through voluntary exit schemes.
	The changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) in December 2010 oblige Departments to first offer voluntary redundancy to any staff identified as being at risk of redundancy, who are in re-deployment, and who have not been able to secure an alternative post. This must take place prior to the Department being allowed to consider whether to issue notice of compulsory redundancy.
	
		
			 Table 1: Staff who have   been (a)   recruited or (b) made redundant since May 2010 
			 Headcount 
			   (a) Staff who have been recruited since May 2010 (b) Staff who have been made redundant since May 2010 
			 (i) Department Home Office and the Executive agencies (1)603 0 
			     
			 (ii) Non-departmental bodies Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) (2)0-5 0 
			  Independent Police Complaints Commissioner (IPCC) 53 26 
			  Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) 33 0 
			  National Policing Improvements Agency (NPIA) 108 9 
			  Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) (2)0-5 0 
			  Security Industry Authority (SIA) 18 0 
			  Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) 7 0 
			 (1) This includes 373 existing civil servants who transferred from other Government departments to the Home Office during the period in question (101 of these transferred in when the Government Equalities Office (GEO) became part of the Home Office in May 2011). (2) The number of individuals identified within this category falls between 0 and 5 and has been redacted in accordance with the Data protection principles to avoid inadvertent identification of particular individuals. Notes: 1. All figures are paid civil servants as to comply with Office for National Statistics definitions. 2. All figures are inclusive of 1 June 2010 to 30 June 2011. Sources: For the Home Office return the data was obtained by Data View, the Home Office's single source of monthly Human Resources data. Individual NDPB returns were manually collated

Entry Clearances: Entertainers

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many applications to enter the UK with an entertainment visa under Section 46S of requirements for leave to enter have been (a) received and (b) refused since 2005;
	(2)  how applications to enter the UK with an entertainment visa under Section 46S of requirements for leave to enter are assessed in respect of (a) family ties to the home country and (b) earnings threshold in pounds sterling equivalent.

Damian Green: The amendment of the Immigration Rules to include provision for leave to enter as an Entertainer Visitor (Paragraph 46S) came into effect on 27 November 2008. The number of visa applications in this category that were (a) received; and (b) refused, to 31 December 2010 were 9,075 and 1,999, respectively.
	All non-EEA nationals seeking leave to enter as a visitor, including as an Entertainer Visitor, must show, amongst other things, that they:
	(a) intend to come to the UK for a limited period not exceeding six months;
	(b) will either (i) be able to adequately maintain and accommodate themselves, or (ii) be adequately maintained and accommodated, during their stay without recourse to public funds; and
	(c) will be able to meet the cost of their return or onward journey.
	The onus is on the applicant to provide evidence to show that these and the other requirements for entry are met.
	All visa applications are assessed on their individual merits. It is standard practice to take into consideration an applicant's personal and family circumstances overseas when assessing their intentions. There is no earnings threshold which Entertainer or other categories of visitor must meet but they will be expected to show that they or their sponsors have sufficient funds for the trip.

Illegal Immigrants

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal migrants have failed to attend at an immigration reporting centre after being arrested at the border and requested to do so on the following day.

Damian Green: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Police Cautions

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police cautions were issued in (a) England and Wales, (b) Cheshire and (c) City of Chester constituency in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many police cautions were issued for assault in (a) England and Wales, (b) Cheshire and (c) City of Chester constituency in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many police cautions were issued for burglary in (a) England and Wales, (b) Cheshire and (c) City of Chester constituency in each year since 1997.

James Brokenshire: Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by parliamentary constituency.
	Data provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the numbers of offenders cautioned for all offences, burglary and assault in England and Wales and Cheshire police force area from 1997 to 2010 can be viewed in the following tables.
	
		
			 Offenders cautioned  (1,2)   for all offences, burglary and assault  (3)   in England and Wales and Cheshire police force area, 1997 to 2010 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
			 Cheshire        
			 Total cautions 4,048 4,587 3,592 3,111 2,780 2,085 3,051 
			 Of which:        
			 Burglary 27 41 30 31 32 9 27 
			 Assault 136 134 145 129 166 191 304 
			         
			 England and Wales        
			 Total cautions 282,093 287,894 266,132 238,987 229,860 225,358 241,806 
		
	
	
		
			 Of which:        
			 Burglary 3,339 3,122 2,697 2,177 2,044 1,909 1,954 
			 Assault 9,110 13,158 16,993 17,210 18,155 17,294 19,786 
		
	
	
		
			  2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Cheshire        
			 Total cautions 3,268 4,572 5,318 4,812 4,799 3,574 3,803 
			 Of which:        
			 Burglary 18 27 76 38 41 27 36 
			 Assault 379 844 1,524 1,275 1,161 845 824 
			         
			 England and Wales        
			 Total cautions 255,768 298,945 349,977 362,895 327,892 290,645 242,831 
			 Of which:        
			 Burglary 2,057 2,375 2,881 2,524 2,056 1,742 1,413 
			 Assault 26,148 40,818 64,649 72,575 69,536 64,238 54,254 
			 (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 10 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Includes: Assault on a constable and common assault offences. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Police: Length of Service

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers of each rank in each police authority area will have completed 30 years service on 1 April 2012; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Based on the latest available information of police officers in post with 28 years or more length of service as at 31 March 2010, and assuming none of these would have left post in the meantime, the following table gives the number of officers that would have completed 30 years or more length of service on 1 April 2012, by police force area and rank.
	
		
			 The number of police officers which have 28 years or more length of service as at 31 March 2010,   by police force area and rank  (1 2) 
			  ACPO Chief Superintendent Superintendent Chief Inspector Inspector Sergeant Constable Total 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 2 7 8 35 34 83 170 
			 Bedfordshire 2 0 3 2 9 16 40 72 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 3 1 5 7 11 50 78 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cleveland 1 2 2 4 17 28 81 135 
			 Cumbria 0 1 2 3 11 17 42 76 
			 Derbyshire 2 3 6 5 20 26 80 142 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 4 7 5 31 36 83 167 
			 Dorset 2 3 2 3 9 6 27 52 
			 Durham 1 3 5 3 18 21 46 97 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 3 0 5 8 4 38 59 
			 Essex 1 2 7 5 24 34 98 171 
			 Gloucestershire 1 2 1 2 7 10 35 58 
			 Greater Manchester 2 5 7 17 54 87 232 404 
			 Gwent 1 2 2 6 9 15 27 62 
			 Hampshire 2 2 11 6 32 46 97 196 
			 Hertfordshire 3 4 4 4 16 24 61 116 
			 Humberside 1 4 5 4 15 35 63 127 
			 Kent 4 3 7 7 19 25 112 177 
			 Lancashire 2 1 3 6 32 39 112 195 
			 Leicestershire 2 1 1 6 18 24 52 104 
			 Lincolnshire 1 0 0 1 13 10 42 67 
			 London, City of 2 1 3 4 11 9 39 69 
			 Merseyside 2 4 6 11 39 70 177 309 
			 Metropolitan Police 15 39 87 121 421 836 1,426 2,945 
			 Norfolk 1 1 1 1 8 13 24 49 
			 Northamptonshire 2 2 2 5 8 10 39 68 
			 Northumbria 2 5 3 8 24 34 71 147 
			 North Wales 0 2 2 0 4 13 39 60 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 1 1 9 15 23 49 
			 Nottinghamshire 2 3 4 12 30 36 108 195 
			 South Wales 1 5 2 9 24 28 96 165 
			 South Yorkshire 1 3 7 5 24 34 89 163 
			 Staffordshire 1 1 5 3 20 24 79 133 
			 Suffolk 2 2 3 0 15 8 24 54 
			 Surrey 0 2 3 3 17 30 58 113 
		
	
	
		
			 Sussex 1 5 3 5 19 28 57 118 
			 Thames Valley 2 4 7 7 35 60 139 254 
			 Warwickshire 1 1 5 1 3 11 38 60 
			 West Mercia 4 3 6 5 31 33 124 206 
			 West Midlands 0 10 13 5 65 104 337 534 
			 West Yorkshire 3 9 14 18 48 85 315 492 
			 Wiltshire 1 4 3 4 13 19 62 106 
			 Total 75 156 263 335 1,272 2,048 4,865 9,014 
			 (1) Figures are provisional and have not been verified by forces. (2) Cheshire is unable to provide length of service figures.

Police: Training

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the average length of time taken for special constables or police community support officers to complete their training to qualify as a warranted uniformed officer in each police authority area; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The length of time expected for completion of the initial policing learning programme, including the diploma in policing, is two years. This is the time usually expected for completion by a student police officer recruited as a warranted officer and paid as such throughout the training period, the completion of which is marked by a pay increment.
	A special constable may complete the full initial learning programme and the length of time which this will take will depend on local arrangements, the number of hours the individual is able to volunteer, and their rate of progress. The Metropolitan police are making arrangements for special constables to complete training and will be best placed to provide the detailed information concerning special constables in the Metropolitan police area.
	A police community support officer (PCSO) is not able to complete the full training as a regular police constable because PCSOs do not have police powers and cannot be assessed using the necessary powers. A PCSO may complete the pre-join knowledge course and may achieve competence in four of the ten assessed modules which form part of the diploma. The length of time that this requires varies but is often completed within 12 months. If the PCSO goes on to be recruited as a regular officer and completed training this should not require more than 12 months to complete. A PCSO may also be a special constable also but the time for completion again depends on their availability for the work based assessment using police powers, and on progress.

Theft: Metal

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on (a) the number of metal thefts and (b) monetary value of stolen metal from church buildings in (i) Wyre Forest and (ii) Worcestershire in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office is responsible for the police recorded crime statistics. Offences of theft of metal would be recorded under the Home Office offence classification of 'Other theft or unauthorised taking'. As such, theft of metal offences cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded within this classification. Information on the value of goods stolen is not collected centrally in the police recorded crime statistics.

UK Border Agency: Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of changing data protection guidance for UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of changing data protection guidance for UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas;
	(3)  how many versions of data protection guidance have been issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas in the last five years;
	(4)  how many versions of data protection guidance have been issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents in the last five years;
	(5)  when data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents in the last five years;
	(6)  when data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas in the last five years;
	(7)  when the most recent data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas;
	(8)  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the most recent data protection guidance was issued to UK Border Agency staff on hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents;
	(9)  what guidance has been issued to UK Border Agency staff on data protection requirements for hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents;
	(10)  what guidance has been issued to UK Border Agency staff on data protection requirements for hon. Members acting on behalf of constituents who are sponsors for visa applications for friends or family overseas.

Damian Green: The Data Protection Act regulates the processing of personal data. Personal data means data that relate to a living individual regardless of their nationality, immigration status or where they are located in the world. The agency's guidance is applicable to both in-country applications, overseas applications and to those who are in detention.
	The current guidance was put in place in 2003 and has been updated as and when necessary since then, according to inquiries from colleagues across the agency which have necessitated clarification. Amendments were also made as a result of the Freedom of Information Act in 2005 making reference to that Act and its provisions.
	The information management team recently produced an information fact sheet for Members of Parliament acting on behalf of their constituents in response to feedback from Members of Parliament. The fact sheet, which was sent to all Members on 14 July 2011, was produced to clarify our current guidance. The fact sheet sets out how we will approach requests for information from MPs in a number of common scenarios.
	The agency's guidance is publicly accessible via the UK Border Agency website—it is contained within chapter 24 ‘Disclosure of Information’ via the ‘Policy and Law pages’ (‘Immigration Directorate Instructions’). This guidance is currently being rewritten to give agency staff a clearer steer on data protection and disclosing information and also highlight the particular role and work of Members of Parliament when representing constituents.
	We do not hold records for the number of versions there have been since 2003, although there have not been major alterations to it since its inception.
	There has been no additional cost to the public purse, over and above the day-to-day operational costs of the UK Border Agency's information management team who oversee Data Protection Policy guidance. The team updates guidance as part of their role and responds to inquiries on data protection policy from colleagues across the agency on a day-to-day basis (including the agency's MPs' Liaison Unit).

Dairy Farming

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of dairy farms in each of the last 10 years.

James Paice: The number of dairy farms in England from 2000 to 2010 is shown in the following table. The source of cattle population data changed in 2006 from the June Survey to the administrative Cattle Tracing System (CTS) data so the 2006 data are shown on both bases for comparison.
	Also shown is UK milk production and milk yields to put the figures into context. The long term trends in dairy production is towards fewer, larger and more productive herds. So while the number of dairy farms has decreased significantly over the past decade, the level of (UK) milk production has only fallen by 4%.
	
		
			 Number of dairy farms 
			  Number  (1) Number  (2) UK milk production (million litres)  (3) Average UK milk yield (litres per cow per year) 
			 2000 — 15,219 14,071 5,979 
			 2001 — 14,293 14,284 6,346 
			 2002 — 14,537 14,440 6,493 
			 2003 — 13,770 14,576 6,621 
			 2004 — 13,264 14,127 6,763 
			 2005 — 12,918 14,052 6,986 
			 2006 11,522 11,079 13,902 6,977 
			 2007 10,907 — 13,619 6,913 
			 2008 10,331 — 13,319 6,943 
			 2009 9,805 — 13,197 7,068 
			 2010 9,461 — 13,533 7,301 
			 (1) Sourced from Cattle Tracing System. Defined as the number of holdings with more than 10 dairy cows over two years old in the milking herd (i.e. with offspring). (2) Sourced from June Survey. Defined as the number of holdings with dairy as the predominant farming activity. (3) Source DEFRA and RPA statistics.

Dairy Products

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of consumption of (a) milk and (b) other dairy products in each of the last 10 years.

James Paice: The volume of drinking milk, cheese and butter produced in the UK and the volume of milk available for consumption is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 UK production and availability of liquid milk and dairy products 
			  Liquid milk (million litres) Butter (thousand tonnes) Cheese (thousand tonnes) 
			  Production Available for consumption Production Available for consumption Production Available for consumption 
			 2001 6,748 6,775 126 200 395 601 
			 2002 6,825 6,806 136 209 371 574 
		
	
	
		
			 2003 6,753 6,597 131 207 351 577 
			 2004 6,693 6,497 122 208 359 600 
			 2005 6,652 6,214 130 219 391 648 
			 2006 6,734 6,307 117 226 400 673 
			 2007 6,724 6,388 120 195 378 684 
			 2008 6,678 6,355 111 169 387 720 
			 2009 6,626 6,255 118 183 359 673 
			 2010(1) 6,835 6,484 119 199 374 697 
			 (1) Provisional Source: DEFRA, HMRC Note: The 2010 data are provisional and will be updated at 9:30am on 30 September 2011. Data for 2011 will be published at 9.30am on 23 March 2012. http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/files/defra-stats-foodfarm-food-milk-milkutil-milksupplies-110624.xls 
		
	
	The UK is a net exporter of liquid milk, hence more milk is produced than is available for consumption. For milk products this is reversed with the UK being a net importer, e.g. speciality cheese imports, butter from Eire/Denmark/New Zealand.

Departmental Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) encourages all of its prime contractors to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities in delivering their workforce for DFID contracts where it is appropriate to do so, and that they should encourage their sub-contractors to offer such opportunities as appropriate.
	DFID does not currently hold management information from suppliers on this matter, and to engage with all prime contractors to gather the information would require a manual exercise and would incur disproportionate costs.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to his Department's announcement of 6 December 2010 on funding for a strategy for the UK broadband network and to his letter to hon. Members of 14 July 2011 on funding for the rollout of high speed broadband; for what reason the sum of £830 million was announced in December 2010 and the sum of £530 million was announced in June 2011.

Edward Vaizey: The Government announced in the 2010 spending review that they would be investing £530 million over the spending review period, including £300 million from the TV licence fee, to improve the UK's broadband network. In addition there is the potential for a further £150 million per year from the TV license fee settlement for the years 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Departmental Photographs

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on Ministerial photoshoots and videos since May 2010.

Justine Greening: The Department has not incurred any spending on photoshoots and videos since May 2010.

Departmental Redundancy

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr Redwood) on 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 480W.

Independent Public Service Pensions Commission

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the underlying data for chart 1.E of the final report of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission.

Danny Alexander: The data underlying chart 1E of Lord Hutton's final report was published in tables 4.2 and 4.18 of Cm 7979: Office for Budget Responsibility, the Economic and Fiscal Outlook, 29 November 2010. This is available at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/econ_fiscal_outlook_291110.pdf
	and the relevant data are reproduced as follows.
	
		
			 £ billion 
			 Economic and fiscal outlook November 2010 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Central Government unfunded public service pensions expenditure 25.7 27.1 28.8 30.1 31.6 33.2 
			 Nominal GDP 1,483 1,550 1,628 1,721 1,817 1,916 
		
	
	Following the publication of Lord Hutton’s final report on 10 March 2011, the OBR published an updated Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 23 March 2011: Cm 8036, available at
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/economic_and_fiscal_outlook_23032011.pdf
	Tables 4.3 and 4.20 are equivalent to 4.2 and 4.18 in the November Economic and Fiscal Outlook and the data from the March Outlook are reproduced as follows.
	
		
			 £ billion 
			 Economic and fiscal outlook March 2011 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Central Government unfunded public service pensions expenditure 26.1 27.4 29.2 30.6 32.2 33.7. 
			 Nominal GDP 1,473 1,544 1,625 1,717 1,814 1,915 
		
	
	Those particular tables do not include expenditure on unfunded pensions administered by local authorities, but these will be included in long-term projections of spending on unfunded public service pensions provided by the Office of Budget Responsibility.

Liverpool Cruise Terminal

John Denham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what meetings he has had with representatives of the Chinese Government at which the Liverpool cruise terminal was discussed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the presentation he made to the Chinese Vice-Premier in January 2011 referred to the Liverpool cruise terminal; and what assumptions were made concerning its future operational role and function.

Danny Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given on 15 July 2011, Official Report, column 485W.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has made to the government of (a) Colombia and (b) South Africa on adoption of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	BIS officials have been liaising with Colombian officials, sharing best practice, to support Colombia's effective implementation of the OECD Guidelines, once Colombia's application process to adhere to the OECD Guidelines has formally concluded. BIS officials have discussed South Africa's adherence to the OECD Guidelines with a visiting MP from South Africa.

Taxation: Sports

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to alter the terms of the Community Amateur Sports Club scheme.

Justine Greening: As with all tax policy, Government keep the reliefs and exemptions for Community Amateur Sports Clubs under review. Changes to tax policy are announced at Budget.

Valuation Office Agency: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the decision to remove pay intentions from HM Revenue and Customs staff working in the Valuation Office Agency in the 2010 pay award has been subject to an equality impact assessment; and if he will place a copy of any such assessment in the Library.

David Gauke: In implementing the public sector pay freeze the Valuation Office Agency was unable to make consolidated pay awards in 2010 unless they were contractual or were for staff earning less than £21,000 (full-time equivalent). After taking extensive advice, the agency concluded that the 'intentions to maximum' policy was not a contractual obligation and therefore pay increases relating to this policy could not be paid during the pay freeze. No equality impact assessment was carried out as it could have no impact on the implementation of the pay freeze, which is mandatory and affects all staff in the agency. A full equal pay review was undertaken by the agency, in consultation with TUS, after the board's conclusion on the compatibility of the intentions to maximum policy with the terms of the public sector pay freeze.

Valuation Office Agency: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has taken to ensure that removing pay intentions for staff is not discriminatory on grounds of age; and if he will ensure that the pay offer made to VOA staff on 3 February 2011 is subject to an equality impact assessment.

David Gauke: The Valuation Office Agency's 'intention to maximum policy' could not be implemented within the terms of the public sector pay freeze as it applied to the civil service. The terms of the pay freeze mean that consolidated pay increases can only be made if they are contractual or are for staff earning less than £21,000 (full-time equivalent). The VOA is reviewing its pay system during the period of the pay freeze and will take account of the impacts of any proposed new system on protected groups as part of that work.
	The VOA also conducts equal pay reviews every three years, in line with Cabinet Office guidelines, and intends to undertake a further equal pay review once any revised pay system has been established. A full equal pay review was undertaken by the agency, in consultation with TUS after the board's conclusion on the compatibility of the intentions to maximum policy with the terms of the public sector pay freeze, and this included an assessment of the agency's pay system in relation to age.

Community Budgets

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made in the roll-out of community budgets for families with multiple problems.

Greg Clark: Community Budgets for families with multiple problems have been established in 16 areas covering 28 authorities. My colleagues, the Noble Baroness Hanham and the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton), wrote to all local authority Leaders on 7 July setting out our intention to roll out Community Budgets for families with multiple problems across England and inviting Leaders to express an interest in establishing a Community Budget for families with multiple problems in their area. A copy of this letter is available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010;
	(2)  if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party;
	(3)  on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Department directly and (b) his Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Andrew Stunell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 211-12W. DCLG Ministers meet regularly with hon. Members of all parties. It would not be a good use of resources to collect data on the lines the hon. Member suggests.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what responsibility he has for contributing to Government action against human trafficking; and what recent action he has taken in this regard.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Noble Baroness Hanham represents the Department for Communities and Local Government on the inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking.
	The inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking co-ordinates work on trafficking across Government. The Group brings together Ministers from key Departments to provide oversight and to strengthen our efforts to tackle human trafficking by ensuring that input and expertise from all Departments is shared.
	The Government will shortly be publishing its strategy on human trafficking.
	The strategy will reiterate the UK's intention to take a comprehensive approach to combating trafficking—both by focusing on tackling traffickers and maintaining effective care for victims. It will also mark a greater focus on combating the organised crime groups behind this crime.
	The Government's approach will be based on four key principles:
	improved victim care arrangements;
	enhancing our ability to act early, before the harm has reached the UK;
	smarter, multi-agency action at the border; and
	a more co-ordinated policing effort at home.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Selby and Ainsty of 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 855W, on tenancy deposit schemes, what financial payments were made or underwritten by his Department as part of the revised agreement negotiated in August 2010;
	(2)  what the estimated shortfall arising from low interest rates was that resulted in the revised agreement negotiated in August 2010;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the revised agreement of August 2010, redacting any commercially confidential elements to facilitate disclosure.

Grant Shapps: A service concession agreement that was originally agreed by the previous Administration with the custodial tenancy deposit protection scheme contained a guarantee that the Government would meet any shortfall arising if approved fees were not covered by the interest on deposits held.
	As a result of the low interest rates that emerged due to the financial turmoil in 2008 and 2009, this agreement left the Government—i.e. taxpayers—liable for a shortfall under that guarantee which was estimated to reach over £30 million by the end of the contract in 2012.
	In May 2010, the coalition Government inherited this unacceptable situation and looming liabilities. Following extensive negotiations in summer 2010, the guarantee and all associated liabilities were removed as part of a revised agreement which also incorporated a payment of £12.7 million and a four-year extension of the original agreement.
	The new agreement has been designed not only to remove future and current liabilities for Government and secure the best deal for taxpayers, but also to safeguard the ongoing viability of the custodial model of tenancy deposit protection and safeguard the interests of tenants.
	Hon. Members and the broader public will rightly wish to scrutinise the poor decisions of the last Administration. The new agreement was made in the form of a letter amending the original, flawed agreement. Redacted copies of both documents will be deposited in the Library of the House in due course.

Departmental Meetings

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Prime Minister what protocols apply to members of the Government who attend meetings with foreign heads of state and government in a private capacity.

William Hague: I have been asked to reply.
	It is the convention that Ministers and members of the Government inform the Foreign and Commonwealth Office when they are attending meetings with foreign heads of state.
	Ministers are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the Ministerial Code when carrying out their official duties.

Corporation Tax

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions officials in his Department had with officials of HM Revenue and Customs on the cost of varying the rate of corporation tax in Scotland in advance of his speech to Scottish Financial Enterprise on 23 June 2011.

Michael Moore: My officials have regular discussions with officials of HM Revenue and Customs on a wide range of issues, including the cost of varying the rate of corporation tax in Scotland. Since then, the methodology of the calculations were published by HMRC in their note, 'Explanatory Note on estimating the cost of a reduction in the Corporation Tax rate in Scotland', on 13 July 2011.

Corporation Tax

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland with reference to his Department's press release of 23 June 2011, what the evidential basis was for the figure of £2.6 billion cited as the cost of reducing the rate of corporation tax in Scotland.

Michael Moore: As the press release outlined, HMRC had drafted provisional figures showing that:
	“if the Scottish Government were to cut Corporation Tax to the same level as Ireland there could be a gap of more than £2.6 billion in the Scottish Budget.”
	The methodology of the calculations were published by HMRC in their note, 'Explanatory Note on estimating the cost of a reduction in the Corporation Tax rate in Scotland', on 13 July 2011.

Departmental Air Travel

John Mann: To ask the Attorney-General on what occasions he has flown on official business (a) by budget airline and (b) in economy class in the last 12 months.

Edward Garnier: The Attorney-General has made seven economy class flights while on official business during the last 12 months, including one on a budget airline. The five trips from the UK were return flights. The details are contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Date From Destination Airline 
			 6 September 2010 UK Belfast BMI 
			 21 November 2010 UK Munich British Airways 
			 5 May 2011 UK Luxembourg Air France 
			 13 June 2011 UK Dublin Aer Lingus 
			 22 June 2011 UK Strasbourg Air France/ Brussels Airlines 
			 17 July 2011 Sydney Auckland Air New Zealand 
			 18 July 2011 Auckland Welington Air New Zealand

Departmental Official Hospitality

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers' Departments have spent on hospitality for staff since May 2010.

Edward Garnier: The total expenditure by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on hospitality in the financial year 2010-11 was £9,957; this figure includes the provision of water, soft drinks and sandwiches for official meetings. The CPS does not routinely fund hospitality for staff, although occasionally a small official event may be held and will be attended by both CPS staff and key stakeholders from other CJS agencies. The CPS does not hold central records of the expenditure on such events attended by staff and the information sought could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The remaining Law Officers' Departments have no record of any expenditure on staff hospitality.

Compensation

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 41W, on compensation, what steps he is taking to reduce the need for his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies to compensate the public.

Chris Grayling: The Department makes consolatory payments in certain circumstances where there has been maladministration, as set out in my answer to the hon. Member of 28 March 2011, Official Report, columns 41-2W. We have a variety of measures in place with an objective of reducing levels of maladministration, and consequentially the amount of consolatory payments made. These include:
	a joint DWP/HMRC strategy to reduce welfare fraud and error (published October 2010);
	compliance teams in all agencies to ensure processes are being followed correctly;
	a published Charter of service standards, to ensure individuals understand the service standards they can expect from any DWP agency; and
	embedding the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's principles of good administration across the Department.
	DWP is also committed to using continuous improvement tools across the Department and its agencies to ensure our service is as efficient and effective as possible.
	Non-departmental public bodies can also make consolatory payments in certain circumstances where there has been maladministration(1). The Department's NDPBs adopt a proportionate approach with regards to reducing the need to compensate the public. This varies from body to body but includes policies of continuous improvement.
	(1) Although CMEC and ILF are taking steps to reduce the compensation which is paid to the public, other NDPBs (HSE and PP/PPF) are not taking any steps as the level of compensation paid out by these bodies has been, historically, very low.

Departmental Lost Property

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold central records itemising assets taken or lost. Actions are taken at local level—where the information is recorded—and it would incur a disproportionate cost to obtain the information requested.
	In all cases of theft the matter is fully investigated and appropriate action taken by the Department. For certain items (such as computers and blackberry phones), where the item is not recovered, the police will be informed as a matter of routine.

Departmental Redundancy

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: Since May 2010 1,563 members of staff have left the Department and its agencies under early release schemes at a cost of £70.9 million.
	All early releases have all been on a voluntary basis, there have been no compulsory redundancies. Releases were all subject to governance processes designed to ensure that they supported business objectives and represented value for money.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party.

Chris Grayling: The current method used by this Department to process and monitor ministerial correspondence does not enable us to easily retrieve the information you seek and there are no plans to change the IT system in use. Any changes would require additional investment. If, in the future, this system were to be updated we would look into this issue.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member of each political party was refused by (a) a Minister in his Department directly and (b) his Department on behalf of a Minister in November 2010.

Chris Grayling: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to him on 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 239W, which was as follows:
	“In the main,. Ministers from this Department try not to refuse meetings with Members of Parliament. However, detailed information is not available other than at disproportionate costs.”
	DWP Ministers received over 3,000 pieces of correspondence in November 2010 from Members of Parliament and elected representatives of devolved Administrations; it is not possible to separately identify how many of these requested meetings other than at disproportionate cost.

Disability Living Allowance

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons recipients of disability living allowance aged over 65 years do not receive the mobility component.

Maria Miller: A claim to disability living allowance, including the mobility component, made before a person’s 65(th) birthday, can remain in payment beyond age 65 as long as the conditions of entitlement remain satisfied, although a mobility, component may not be added to an existing claim after that age.
	It is normal for pensions and benefit schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives. Disability living allowance, which has a mobility component, is intended to focus additional help with the extra cost of disability on people who have the very considerable disadvantage of being severely disabled earlier in life and who as a consequence have less opportunity to work, earn and save compared to non-disabled people. The mobility component remains in payment beyond age 65, to reflect the ongoing disadvantage that people in these circumstances continue to have compared with people who develop mobility problems after age 65.

Disability Living Allowance: Carers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of carers who will be subject to the proposed benefits cap because their household is not exempt as a result of a claim for disability living allowance or the personal independence payment.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available as sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for those who are both receiving carer's allowance and are subject to the household benefit cap.

Education Support Allowance: Breast Cancer

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that education support allowance assessment process and associated procedures take into account the needs of people suffering from breast cancer.

Chris Grayling: We are determined that the benefits system should support people who are diagnosed with cancer, including breast cancer, in the most sensitive, fair and appropriate way.
	Following an internal review we have recently made changes to the WCA so that more individuals undergoing certain chemotherapy treatments will automatically be placed in the Support Group without the need for an assessment.
	Additionally, Professor Harrington, as part of his second Independent Review asked Macmillan Cancer Support to look in detail at how the WCA assesses people with cancer and to provide him with any recommendations for further improvements.
	We have recently received these recommendations from Professor Harrington. We are considering them carefully to understand whether they will improve the assessment further for individuals with cancer. We will come forward with any proposals shortly.
	We will continue to review and refine the WCA to ensure that it is more effective; fairer for all claimants and as a result fairer for the taxpayer.

Employers’ Liability

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the impact of compulsory employer's liability insurance on (i) micro, (ii) small and (iii) medium-sized businesses.

Chris Grayling: Research conducted for HSE in 2003 (‘Survey of compliance with Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) Act 1969’ Research Report 188) indicated that less than 1% of companies had failed to take out employers' liability (compulsory) insurance (ELCI).
	The survey found that 0.9% of micro firms, 0.37% of small firms and 0.6% of large sized firms lacked ELCI.
	Further research was commissioned in 2009 and details of the findings will be published in due course.

Employment: Disability

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had on the conclusions and recommendations of the Sayce Report on disability employment support.

Maria Miller: Since the publication of the Sayce review, “Getting in, staying in and getting on”, on 9 June 2011, I have had a number of discussions on its findings.
	On 20 June, I met the Minister for Care Services, the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, my hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes) and the Minister for Children and Families, the hon. Member for Brent Central (Sarah Teather), for an initial discussion on the recommendations, which I accepted upon publication, to create a cross-Government group to address disability employment. I met with the Remploy trade unions on 13 July and plan to meet them again. I have also met the principals of the residential training colleges to take their initial views on the report.
	I confirmed, when the report was published, that Government would consult before moving to any decisions on the future strategy for specialist disability employment programmes. The Government's response and a separate public consultation were launched on 11 July 2011. The consultation will run till 17 October 2011. A programme of consultation events is planned over the summer, involving a wide range of stakeholders.
	I would encourage all interested parties to use the opportunity of consultation to contribute their views to this important subject. Details of the consultation exercise can be found at the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/specialist-disability-emp-prog.shtml
	Alternatively you can request a copy of the consultation document by writing to the Sayce Review Consultation Team, Level 3 Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ or telephone 0114 2948239.

Employment: Older People

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to assist people aged over 50 who are unemployed to enter employment.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus treats jobseekers of all ages equally, and in 2010 we delivered new training to advisers to enhance the support they can offer to claimants who are aged 50 or over. Older jobseekers have the same access to a comprehensive menu of individually tailored help as those under 50 (apart from the specific options for jobseekers aged under 25). Support is tailored to the individual needs of each jobseeker, including help with work-related training and job-search support. Older jobseekers who are eligible can also access Get Britain Working measures, such as Work Clubs, Work Together, and the new enterprise allowance for individuals who are looking to become self-employed.
	The newly launched Work Programme will also provide support for those who are more at risk of long-term unemployment. Work Programme providers are free to innovate and design support based on the needs of individuals, and will be paid primarily for the results they achieve in supporting people into sustained employment. All jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance and pension credit claimants can access the Work Programme at a time that's right for them.

Employment: Travel Costs

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure that people not claiming benefits are responsible for the travel costs of seeking employment.

Chris Grayling: For people receiving working age benefits help with the additional travel costs arising from work search is available. In certain circumstances such help may also be available to people not in receipt of benefit, at the discretion of the personal adviser.

Employment: Young People

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to support young people into work.

Chris Grayling: Work Experience and Apprenticeships are central to improving the prospects of young unemployed people.
	We are funding an additional 80,000 placements meaning that there will be up to 100,000 placements available for young people to undertake a period of valuable Work Experience lasting between two and eight weeks. Claimants in the 18 to 24 age group are eligible for Work Experience and we recently announced the widening of eligibility to include 16 and 17-year-olds in receipt of jobseeker's allowance.
	Government are funding up to 250,000 more apprenticeships over the next four years and we are strengthening the links between Work Experience and Apprenticeships. Later this year Work Experience placements will be extended by up to four weeks where employers make a firm offer of an Apprenticeship and that offer is accepted.
	We have improved our package of support to provide earlier entry to the Work Programme for more vulnerable young people and are providing additional Jobcentre Plus help for 16 and 17-year-old jobseeker's allowance claimants.

Families Against Corporate Killers

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will arrange a meeting with representatives of Families Against Corporate Killers.

Chris Grayling: Department for Work and Pensions' Ministers will consider meeting requests from stakeholders, including Families Against Corporate Killers, as diary commitments allow.

Poverty: Children

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of child poverty in rural communities in each of the next four financial years.

Maria Miller: This information is not available.
	Modelled tax and benefit reforms announced since Budget 2010 may have a small reduction in overall child poverty in 2011-12 and 2012-13; however, given the uncertainty around these types of estimates, this change may be on the edge of statistical significance. This analysis has not been carried out separately for those in rural communities.
	The most recent estimates of rural child poverty are presented as follows. Due to different definitions of rurality in Scotland compared to England and Wales, and the fact that no information is collected on the family resources survey covering rurality in Northern Ireland, it has not been possible to present figures for the United Kingdom as a whole. This also means that the figures supplied for Scotland are not comparable with the other figures presented. For Wales and Scotland, three years of data have had to be combined due to small sample size.
	The latest data available from the households below average incomes for 2009-10, shows that in England, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 15% in rural areas compared to 20% in urban areas.
	The latest data available from the households below average incomes for 2007-08 to 2009-10, shows that in Wales, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 21% in rural areas compared to 28% in urban areas.
	The latest data available from the households below average incomes for 2009-10, shows that in England and Wales, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 16% in rural areas compared to 20% in urban areas.
	The latest data available from the households below average incomes for 2007-08 to 2009-10, shows that in Scotland, before housing costs, the proportion of children in relative poverty is 16% in rural areas compared to 21% in urban areas.
	Notes:
	1. These statistics are based on households below average income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2009-10 family resources survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.
	2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes.
	3. Figures have been presented on a before housing costs basis. For before housing costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for after housing costs they are.
	4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
	5. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year.
	6. Proportions of children in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	7. Three survey years have been combined for Scotland and Wales because single year estimates are not considered to be sufficiently reliable.
	8. Due to different definitions of rurality in Scotland compared to England and Wales, and the fact that no information is collected on the family resources survey covering rurality in Northern Ireland, it has not been possible to present figures for the United Kingdom as a whole.

Universal Credit

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether his Department has made an estimate of the (a) cost of ending existing commercial housing benefit contracts as a result of the introduction of universal credit and (b) cost of paying compensation to (i) local authorities, (ii) housing associations and (iii) contractors for early extension;
	(2)  how many housing benefit staff employed by (a) local authorities, (b) housing associations and (c) contractors are expected to transfer to his Department under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations to administer universal credit.

Steve Webb: The Welfare Reform White Paper sets out that the Department for Work and Pensions will be responsible for organising the delivery of universal credit. It also states that we will continue to pay housing benefit to working age customers until we can migrate them successfully on to universal credit, currently expected to be by October 2017. We have yet to settle on the precise details of how the transition will work, and the effects on housing benefits staff. This approach will ensure an orderly transition and that we have people with relevant skills and experience to support claimants both in work and out of work, as they migrate to the new credit.
	We will continue to work with colleagues in HM Revenue and Customs and local authorities to test new ways of working and consider how, in the longer term, we can build on the best capabilities of current organisations to provide a consistently excellent service to claimants and ensure value for money. This work will also confirm whether and how TUPE will apply for those staff affected in all organisations.

Universal Credit

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has made any assessment of (a) the number of housing benefit staff who may be made redundant under his proposals to introduce universal credit and (b) the cost to (i) local authorities, (ii) housing associations and (iii) contractors of such redundancies.

Steve Webb: It is still too early to say how many staff, and what skills and experience will be required for universal credit. Decisions about TUPE and redundancy cannot be made until there is much more definition around the specific roles required to deliver the new universal credit. Although it is anticipated that fewer staff will be required compared to the legacy benefits, it is too early to say which staff and organisations will be affected. The impact on local authority staff will be affected by the design of the council tax benefit replacement, and decisions about the delivery model for universal credit.

Universal Credit: Carers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of carers in receipt of means-tested benefits who will be ineligible for an earnings disregard when they move onto or begin to claim universal credit.

Chris Grayling: Departmental modelling estimates that, in steady-state universal credit, approximately 20% of households with a carer who would have received means-tested support under a continuation of the current system of benefits and tax credits, would not be eligible for an earnings disregard in universal credit.
	Universal credit modelling is conducted using the Department's' Policy Simulation Model. This is a static microsimulation model based on 2008-09 Family Resources Survey data and, as such, estimates should be treated as indicative only. Estimates have been adjusted to take account of the current imperfect take-up of benefits and the improved take-up rate under universal credit. Carer households are defined as where an adult is providing informal care for 35 or more hours a week.

Universal Credit: Free School Meals

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost implications for schools of administering free school meals under the universal credit.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the level of administrative costs for schools administering free school meals under the universal credit.

Chris Grayling: Defining entitlement to certain passported benefits is the responsibility of other Government Departments and devolved Administrations. Free school meals are the responsibility of Department for Education.
	The Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) have been commissioned to carry out an independent review on passported benefits on behalf of the Government and will present advice in a non-binding report by the end of January 2012.
	SSAC launched a public consultation looking at passported benefits which is open until 22 July.

Work Capability Assessment: Illnesses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will amend his Department's ESA50 questionnaire to include specific questions on whether the respondent is suffering from a terminal illness.

Chris Grayling: We aim to treat people with terminal illness (defined as less than six months to live) sensitively and to ensure they are allowed the additional support of the Support Group as quickly as possible, without the need for a face-to-face assessment. To do this, employment and support allowance has special rules that ensure individuals who claim the benefit because they are terminally ill do not have to fill out an ESA50 questionnaire or attend a face-to-face assessment, instead, in the vast majority of cases, they are placed in the Support Group on the basis of medical evidence from their general practitioner or treating health care professional.
	Such medical evidence is usually provided in the form of a DS1500. If further clarification or evidence is deemed necessary, requests are normally made direct to the general practitioner or treating health care professional. As a result, we do not intend to modify the ESA50 questionnaire to include specific questions about terminal illness.

Armed Forces: Animals

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many animal mascots there are in the armed forces; and what their cost is.

Andrew Robathan: There are a number of mascots in the armed forces, some of which are official, and thus attract a certain level of official funding to cover accommodation, movement, quarantine, veterinary services, bedding and rations. Other, unofficial mascots are maintained through private unit funds.
	Neither the Royal Navy nor the Royal Air Force have any official mascots. The Army has a total of 10 official mascots.
	Information related to the cost of maintaining these animals is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Training

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of 16-year-old recruits training at the Army Foundation College Harrogate gained five or more GCSEs during training in each of the last 10 years; in which subjects such qualifications were awarded in each such year; and how many such qualifications were awarded at grade C or above in each such year.

Andrew Robathan: The Army Foundation College, Harrogate (AFC(H)) provides a non-academic, vocational apprenticeship. GCSEs are not undertaken at the AFC(H).
	Recruits who do not already have GCSEs are provided with functional skills in English and Maths to a sufficient standard to enable them to progress through their military careers.

Armed Forces: Young People

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the legal advice his Department has received on the minimum terms of service (a) for recruits who enlist in the Army below the age of 18 years (b) for adult recruits in the Army and (c) for minors in the RAF and Royal Navy.

Andrew Robathan: Internal legal advice on this issue constitutes part of normal policy development work within the department, which is an ongoing process, and is not generally released. The provisions are longstanding and I can confirm that no legal advice on the development of the provisions has been given in recent years. However, we are satisfied that there is no legal difficulty with any disparity between differing terms of service in the three services or between different age groups. Individuals join a single service of their choosing, not the armed forces generally, and each service has different operational requirements. Depending upon which service a recruit has chosen they must abide by its requirements in relation to terms of engagement.

Defence: Procurement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent with (a) EDS Defence and (b) Aegis Defence Services in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Peter Luff: Payments made by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to EDS Defence Ltd and Aegis Defence Services since 1998-99 are shown in the following tables (information for 1997-98 is no longer available):
	
		
			 Financial year Payments to EDS Defence Ltd (£ million) 
			 1998-99 141 
			 1999-2000 116 
			 2000-01 118 
			 2001-02 144 
			 2002-03 179 
			 2003-04 181 
			 2004-05 201 
			 2005-06 336 
			 2006-07 570 
			 2007-08 634 
			 2008-09 775 
			 2009-10 818 
			 2010-11 783 
		
	
	
		
			 Financial year Payments to Aegis Defence Services (£) 
			 1998-99 to 2007-08 Nil 
			 2008-09 5,000 
			 2009-10 6,000 
			 2010-11 1,000 
		
	
	Figures are at current prices and exclude VAT.
	The payments reported have been extracted from the MOD's central contracts database on which is recorded the majority (about 95%) of all MOD payments. Payments not processed centrally are not included and may have been made on behalf of other Government Departments, by the MOD's Trading Funds and Executive Non-Departmental Bodies (which lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary), locally by the Department, through third parties such as prime contractors or other Government Departments and in relation to collaborative, projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas governments.
	From 2004-05, the individual subsidiaries and joint ventures relating to EDS Defence Ltd have been reproduced from the corporate structures published in Table 1.17a of UK Defence Statistics. We have used the Hewlett Packard corporate structure for 2008-09 onwards following their take over of EDS. When this occurs during the financial year, annual payments are recorded against the company taking ownership of the contract.
	Figures before 2004-05 may not reflect the full holding company structure for EDS Defence Ltd owing to data limitations.

Departmental Redundancy

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible has spent on redundancies since May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: The costs of exit packages, which include both voluntary and compulsory paid releases, appear in the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA), and in the separate ARAs for the Department's Trading Funds. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), made a statement to the House on 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 70WS, publishing the MOD's ARAs for 2011.
	There have been no redundancies among the Department's non-departmental public bodies since May 2010.

Nimrod Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Nimrod Airworthiness Review Team report published in 1998.

Liam Fox: A copy of the report will be placed in the Library of the House once the necessary redactions have been made in accordance with usual Data Protection Act and other legislative obligations.

Redundancy

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of (a) the costs of and (b) savings from his Department's redundancy programme over the next five years.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 July 2011
	The final costs and savings from redundancies will depend on a number of factors, including the level of natural wastage, salary, rank/grade and length of service of personnel selected. Estimates of the levels of savings can only be provided for the next four years, as planning data beyond those years does not give the sufficient level of detail.
	The current assessment is that around 11,000 service personnel will be made redundant, from the total drawdown of around 17,000, at a cost of around £600-700 million. The service redundancy programme will take place over four years, although the majority will leave the service in 2012 and 2013. The estimated savings from service personnel pay costs from as a result of all reductions (including natural wastage) is £2.4 billion over financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15, though there will be enduring savings thereafter.
	The current estimate of the cost of reducing the number of civil servants is around £580 million over three years to achieve a proportion of the 25,000 civil service personnel reductions detailed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The estimated savings from civilian pay costs as a result of these reductions (including early release and natural wastage) is £0.9 billion over financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15, with enduring savings thereafter.

Colombia

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department provides for UK businesses operating in Colombia.

Jeremy Browne: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague)’s Canning House lecture set out the case for doing more to encourage British trade and investment in Latin America. Colombia is a key emerging economy and we are strengthening our embassy in Bogota. This includes hands-on support from UK Trade & Investment for British companies looking to do business in Colombia. Our human rights officials provide advice on how to ensure that British companies can operate to the highest standards.

Pakistan

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on Pakistan.

Alistair Burt: A strong US-Pakistan relationship is in all of our interest. I speak regularly to both my US and Pakistani colleagues about our common objectives in the region whether it is fighting terrorism, pursuing an Afghan-led political settlement, or increasing access to education in Pakistan. Only yesterday I spoke to Mark Grossman the US Special Envoy to Afghanistan.

China

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve investment relations with China.

Jeremy Browne: The development of strong bilateral trade and investment links with China is a key priority for the UK Government. Currently the UK attracts the second highest flow of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in the EU. By the end of December 2010, the estimated stock of Chinese investment into the UK was $1.2 billion. The UK ranks second to Germany as the largest European investor in China (in cumulative terms), with at least 25% of the EU total.
	During the UK-China summit on 27 June, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation on Investment Promotion was signed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on behalf of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), with the Ministry of Commerce of China. This will ensure that both parties will cooperate more closely to support Chinese enterprises establish and expand sustainable commercial investments in the UK, including in UK infrastructure and regeneration projects. Following the Prime Minister discussions with Premier Wen, UKTI are also looking into establishing a taskforce to take this agenda forward.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on human rights of the sentence of Abdulhadi Al Khawaja; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are deeply concerned by the nature of the charges brought against Mr Al Khawaja and the 20 other political figures. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement to the House of Commons on 29 June, Official  Report, columns 959-60, expressing the UK's concerns about the suspension and investigation of political parties, the imprisonment of leading moderate politicians, the alleged mistreatment of detainees and the trial of members of the medical profession before tribunals containing a military judge.
	Our outgoing ambassador to Bahrain has raised the reports of abuse in detention, lack of access, to legal counsel, coerced confessions and that civilians were being tried before a military judge.
	We continue to urge the Government of Bahrain, at the highest level, to take forward their commitment to investigate the claims of abuse. In this context, we welcome the establishment on 30 June, by His Majesty the King of an independent commission, composed of international figures, to look into the events of recent months and into allegations of abuses of human rights.

Bahrain: Politics and Government

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the statement by the Minister for the Middle East on 22 June 2011, if he made representations to the Bahraini authorities in the case of Mr Al Khawaja.

Alistair Burt: I have not made specific representations to the Government of Bahrain in the case of Mr Al Khawaja. However, we have raised our concerns about the conduct of the national safety trials with the Bahraini authorities. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised UK concerns about the arrests of protestors and medical staff when he met the Crown Prince of Bahrain on 25 May 2011. Our outgoing ambassador to Bahrain has been raising our concerns with the Government of Bahrain, at the highest level.

Belarus: Politics and Government

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Belarus about standards of governance in that country.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and I have consistently called upon the Belarusian authorities to recognise the rule of law and democratic freedoms, free political prisoners and end human rights abuses. I have also condemned the Belarusian authorities’ disproportionate response to the recent ‘silent’ protests.

BRIC Countries

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit (a) Brazil, (b) India and (c) China in an official capacity in the next 12 months.

Jeremy Browne: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has not finalised his travel plans, but hopes to visit all three countries in the next 12 months.
	As Minister of State, I have visited China three times, Brazil twice and India once. I also hope to visit all three countries again in the next 12 months.

Burma: Politics and Government

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of China regarding the conflict in Kachin state, Burma.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are deeply concerned at the breakdown of the ceasefire agreement in Kachin State which has led to renewed conflict and the displacement of up to 20,000 people. We have raised our concern at official level with the Chinese authorities. The Government are clear that countries in the region need to maintain pressure on the Burmese Government to begin a process of genuine inclusive dialogue that addresses the concerns and longstanding grievances of ethnic groups.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many procurement contracts his Department has awarded to small businesses since May 2010.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold centrally information on contracts awarded to small businesses. Procurement responsibility is devolved to directorates in London and over 260 posts overseas. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The UK Government’s position on the site of the European Parliament is well known.

Departmental Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations his Department has introduced (a) in the six months prior to 1 September 2010 and (b) in the six months after 1 September 2010 which it has determined do not impose costs on businesses.

David Lidington: The information requested is as follows:
	(a)My Department introduced no regulations in the six months prior to 1 September 2010. It introduced, however, four statutory instruments (please see list contained in UIN 65350, reply to (a)). They did not impose costs on businesses.
	(b) My department has not introduced any regulatory measures in the six months after 1 September 2010 but it did introduce the following, seven statutory instruments which imposed no costs on businesses:
	The Montserrat Constitution Order 2010
	The Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution (Interim Amendment) (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Geneva Conventions (Overseas Territories) Order 2010
	The Iran (United Nations Sanctions) (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2010
	The Legislative Reform (Civil Partnership) Order 2010.
	The Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 2010 and the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2010 have a minor impact on business in the case of the first Order and a minimal impact (largely minor changes in procedure) on businesses in the case of the second Order.

Departmental Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department has (a) introduced and (b) removed since 1 September 2010; what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was; and what regulations have been excluded from the one-in one-out system because they address (i) emergencies and (ii) systemic financial risks since 1 September 2010.

David Lidington: The information is as follows:
	(a) My Department has introduced no regulations since 1 September 2010, but it did introduce the following, 18 statutory instruments, none of which imposed costs on businesses, in addition to the seven listed in the reply to UIN 65316 (b)
	The Consular Fees Order 2011
	The Tunisia (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Partnership and Co-operation Agreement) (Republic of Indonesia) Order 2011
	The European Union (Definition of Treaties) (Stabilisation and Association Agreement) (Republic of Serbia) Order 2011
	The Libya (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The Treaty of Lisbon (Changes on Terminology) Order 2011
	The Irish Sailors and Soldiers Land Trust Act (Dissolution) Order 2011
	The Child Abduction and Custody (Parties to Conventions) (Amendment) (No 2) Order 2011
	The Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc Act 2010 (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) (No 2) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) (No 3) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) (No 4) Order 2011
	The Overseas Territories (Change of Name) (No 5) Order 2011
	The Egypt (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The Syria (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2011
	The International Criminal Court (Libya) Order 2011
	The Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2011
	(b) No regulations imposing costs on businesses have been removed in this period by my Department.
	The following statutory instruments were, however, removed:
	The Consular Fees (Amendment) Order 2010 (please see reply to PQ 65316)
	The Child Abduction and Custody (Parties to Conventions) (Amendment) Order 2011
	There was no net effect on the costs of businesses of such introductions and removals and no regulations have been excluded from the One-in, One-out regulatory management system.

Departmental Responsibilities

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to change his Department's administrative structure.

Jeremy Browne: Yes. In line with the Ministerial Code and the new Code of Corporate Governance, we are in the process of setting up a new Supervisory Board, which the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), will chair.
	This new board will sit above our existing Management Board, which is chaired by the Permanent Under-Secretary. Its primary role will be to monitor the performance and capability of the Department in achieving the objectives in our Business Plan. It will have roughly equal membership of Ministers, officials and non executives. We anticipate that this Board will hold its first meeting after the summer, once we confirm the appointment of a lead non executive board member.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), meets members of all parties on a regular basis.

Ilois: Resettlement

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the outcome of Al-Skeini v UK at the European Court of Human Rights, what consideration he is giving to withdrawing from the Chagos Islanders v UK case; what consideration he has given to an out-of-court settlement; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We will continue to contest the case brought by a group of Chagos Islanders before the European Court of Human Rights. The Government believes the arguments against allowing resettlement on the grounds of feasibility and defence security are clear and compelling. We do not consider there to be a case for paying further compensation to the applicants as part of a settlement.

Latin America: Embassies

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had on the future operations of UK embassies and consulates in (a) Latin America, (b) Central America and (c) the Caribbean.

Jeremy Browne: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), announced details of the Network Shift to the House on 11 May 2011, Official Report, column 1165. We are increasing our overall diplomatic presence; maintaining all our embassies and high commissions in Latin America and the Caribbean; and opening a new embassy in San Salvador, El Salvador and a new consulate in Recife and Brazil.
	The UK’s operations in the Americas will be developed further by a new network of prosperity officers who are currently being recruited. These new officers will operate from our missions in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City, Panama City, Rio, Santiago and Sao Paulo.

National Security Council

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role and responsibilities he has in relation to the National Security Council; and what recent contribution he has made to its work.

William Hague: I am a member of the National Security Council and I take an active role in all its discussions and decision-making. As Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, I am responsible for all the papers which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office submits for consideration by the National Security Council, and take a close interest in their preparation.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of (a) levels of corruption and (b) political stability in Pakistan.

Alistair Burt: The Government routinely monitors reporting on the nature and extent of corruption in Pakistan and works with the Government of Pakistan, International Partners and civil society organisations to promote accountability and transparency.
	Pakistan is currently dealing with major domestic challenges, including how to: tackle a large militant insurgency in its border regions; achieve democratic and economic reform; and recover from the aftermath of last year's devastating floods as well as dealing with the repercussions of the death of Osama bin Laden. We offer Pakistan our full support in facing these challenges.
	A stable, prosperous and democratic Pakistan, at ease with its regional neighbours and equipped with the will and capacity to tackle violent extremism, is of direct and critical importance to the security of the UK and its interests. Ministers and senior officials engage regularly at a senior level with Pakistani interlocutors from all parties to highlight the importance of democratic and economic stability for Pakistan.
	I and my colleagues continue to seek progress on these issues from the Pakistani Government.

Sri Lanka

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he was informed in advance of the plans of the Secretary of State for Defence to visit Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The visit undertaken by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), was official. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), fully supported the visit.

Sri Lanka

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he expects any changes to UK policy towards Sri Lanka to arise from the Secretary of State for Defence's recent visit to that country.

Alistair Burt: The visit to Sri Lanka by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), supported UK policy on Sri Lanka. He was able to deliver the Government's views to the Sri Lankan Government on the need for accountability for alleged war crimes and build on the visit I undertook to Sri Lanka in February 2011.

Visits Abroad

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister concerning private visits made by Government Ministers to meet representatives of foreign governments.

David Lidington: We do not comment on internal conversations between Members of the Government.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1018W, on departmental carbon emissions, if he will assess the feasibility of low-carbon energy generation on his Department's estate.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office is presently undergoing an estate rationalisation programme which will result in its concentration into two buildings: 70 Whitehall/Downing street and 1 Horseguards road.
	A low-carbon energy generation feasibility study was undertaken at the Department's building at 70 Whitehall in September 2008. The study considered options for renewable energy generation such as wind turbines, photovoltaic panels and the installation of biomass heating. Financial considerations as well as restrictions arising due to the building's grade 1 listed status meant that none of the proposals presented were feasible.
	The Cabinet Office will seek to work with the other occupiers at 1 Horseguards Road to assess possible future low-carbon energy generation options.

Government Departments: Advertising

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Government and its executive agencies spent on advertising in each News International newspaper title in the period between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011.

Francis Maude: The total amount spent on advertising campaigns with News International newspaper titles by Government and their executive agencies is not held centrally.
	The figures detailed in the table show Government spend on advertising in News International titles made through the central Office of Information (COI) between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011. These figures have not yet been fully audited.
	
		
			  £ 
			 The Sun 418,308 
			 News of The World 113,213 
			 Times 107,215 
			 Sunday Times 124,600 
			   
			 Supplements:  
			 News of the World —Fabulous magazine 22,900

Public Services: Private Sector

Nick Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1080W, on public services: private sector, what plans he has for monitoring the business models of companies providing key public services.

Oliver Letwin: The Open Public Services White Paper set out our principles for ensuring the continuity of public services. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) and I will be working with colleagues to develop continuity regimes based on these principles over the next few months.

Alternative Vote: Referendums

Jim Shannon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the value for money of the referendum on the alternative vote.

Mark Harper: The referendum on the voting system was important in enabling people to have their say on whether a new voting system should be adopted. The Government took steps to reduce costs where possible, for example, by combining the referendum with the devolved and local Government elections, which saved an estimated £30 million across all the polls held on 5 May.
	The Electoral Commission is responsible for accounting for the funds which were allocated for the referendum, and has assured us that value for money will be taken into account when assessing individual claims. We will make an overall assessment on the cost of the referendum, and whether there are further opportunities for providing value for money in such polls once all claims from regional counting officers and counting officers for the conduct of the poll have been submitted to the Electoral Commission and settled.

Defamation: Conditional Fee Agreements

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will delay his decision to cap no win, no fee conditional fee agreements for cases involving the publication of libel by newspaper organisations until the Government's inquiry into the ethics and practices of the media has reported.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill includes provisions to implement fundamental reforms to how no win no fee conditional fee agreements operate across all categories of civil litigation, for both claimants and defendants. Under our proposals, claimants in libel cases would still be able to bring claims under no win no fee agreements. The Bill is now before the public bill committee for scrutiny. The Government are not minded to delay the reforms to no win no fee agreements in respect of libel cases, which are intended to make the costs of civil litigation more proportionate.

Departmental Lost Property

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was;

Crispin Blunt: The latest figures show that the following items were lost or stolen from the Department's premises in the past year:
	43 personal computers; 14 laptops; 12 BlackBerry cell phones; 26 RSA secure ID tokens; 15 BeCrypt encryption tokens and five items of removable media.
	The following items were lost or stolen while outside the Departments premises:
	1 PC; 40 laptops; 53 BlackBerrys; 52 RSA tokens; 39 BeCrypt tokens and 25 items of removable media.
	Losses of other equipment, such as mobile telephones and the cost of replacing individual items are not recorded centrally. This information is kept at a local level and can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Central data does not distinguish between loss and theft, nor provide an indication of recovery.
	The above excludes losses from HM Prison Service stores. This information will shortly be published in the Department's annual resource accounts, which are currently being finalised.

Departmental Procurement

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many procurement contracts his Department has awarded to small businesses since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) did not hold centrally information regarding the procurement of goods or services from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) prior to April 2011. This information can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost to the Department, by a number of staff manually reviewing large volumes of records.
	Following the development of the MOJ's SME action plan this information is now recorded. Between 1 April 2011 and 30 June 2011 87 contracts were awarded to SMEs,

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many meetings he has had with hon. Members of each political party since May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), regularly meets hon. Members of the House in the course of his ministerial and constituency duties. Due to the large number of meetings he attends which involve hon. Members, the work involved in searching records to assemble this information would exceed the cost limit for answering PQs.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider keeping data on the number of times (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have declined a request for a meeting from an hon. Member of each political party.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), seeks to accommodate requests to meet with hon. Members of the House wherever possible and appropriate. Due to the variety of means by which meeting requests are made, both formally and informally, we do not believe it would be practical to centrally record instances where a meeting request may have been declined.

Legal Aid Scheme: Negligence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the capacity of parents to pay for initial expert reports necessary prior to obtaining after-the-event insurance in clinical negligence litigation in respect of their children.

Jonathan Djanogly: After the event insurance premiums can cover the cost of initial expert reports in clinical negligence cases funded under conditional fee agreements currently, and there is no reason why this should not continue once the Government’s reforms are implemented.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 6 June 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Sahar Safdar.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), replied on 6 July. We apologise for the delay. A copy of his reply has been sent to the right hon. Member’s office.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter of 7 June 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr J W Hargreaves.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), replied on 18 July. We are sorry for the delay in replying.

Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what representation his Department has had from individuals and community organisations in (a) Yorkshire, (b) Northumberland, (c) County Durham, (d) Northamptonshire and (e) Surrey on the need to improve services at prison establishments in those areas recently announced for market testing; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Such representations could be received by a large number individuals and groups within the Ministry of Justice and National Offender Management Service, and no central record is kept. To provide this information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost. The prisons announced for competition by the Secretary of State on 13 July 2011 were chosen because they form a balanced package that meets our competition priorities. We expect to obtain savings from each of these prisons, which will help the National Offender Management Service meet its revised budget for the spending review period. Individual prisons within the package also offer the potential for service innovation, as outlined in the Competition Strategy for Offender Services.

Prisons: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made in construction of a prison in north Wales.

Crispin Blunt: As part of the spending review announcement on 20 October 2010, plans to build new prisons were deferred for the spending review period. As a result, there are no current plans to build a new prison in North Wales.
	However, long-term decisions on the prison capacity programme will be taken in the light of future policy developments.

Departmental Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Tim Loughton: The Department does not maintain a central record of the number of apprenticeships created directly by contracts and the information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has issued any guidance to schools on the generation of low-carbon energy on their estates.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education (DfE) has produced a document on “How to Reduce Energy and Water use in Schools”, which is available on the Department for Education's website. The DfE also encourages a number of low carbon and sustainable development initiatives, including those from the Sustainable Schools Alliance and the Carbon Trust's Collaborative Low Carbon Schools service.
	The Government remains fully committed to sustainable development and the importance of preparing young people for the future. At the same time, we believe that schools perform better when they take responsibility for their own improvement. We want schools to make their own judgments on whether generating low-carbon energy on their estate is the best decision for them, and how sustainable development should be reflected in their ethos, day-to-day operations and teaching.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Greater London

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many sixth formers in each school and college in London were in receipt of education maintenance allowance in 2010-11.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 July 2011
	This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the Education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Education Maintenance Allowance: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people in York local authority area are in receipt of education maintenance allowance; and how many young people in that area he expects to benefit from the 16 to 19 years bursary scheme.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Further Education: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been allocated from the 16 to 19 bursary fund to each school and college in London for 2011-12.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 July 2011
	This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

GCE A-level

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with UCAS and A-level examination boards about errors in the marking of A-level papers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of A-level candidates likely to be affected by errors in the marking of A-level papers in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what representations he has received on errors in the marking of A-level examination papers in each of the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: No representations concerning errors in A level marking have been received by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), during the past six months. As regulator of the examination awarding bodies concerned, it is for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) to work with the awarding bodies to investigate any issues concerning A level examination marking standards. Ofqual have not advised Education Ministers of any representations on this matter during the last six months. No forecast of A level marking errors has been prepared for Ministers. While it is not feasible to eliminate all incidences of error from the initial marking process, Ministers expect that awarding bodies will always operate procedures to minimise marking errors, and that all suspected errors that are subsequently reported to them by schools will then be dealt with through the established inquiry and appeals mechanisms.

History: GCSE

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnicity eligible for free school meals achieved a grade C or above in (a) history GCSE and (b) history A-level in 2010; how many pupils of each ethnicity were entered for (i) history GCSE and (ii) a history A-level in 2010; and how many were eligible for free school meals.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1: Number and percentage of pupils  (1, 2)   entering GCSE history by ethnicity and free school meal (FSM) eligibility  (3)   in 2009/10 
			  Pupils entering GCSE history 
			  All pupils Pupils eligible for FSM 
			 Ethnicity Number of pupils Percentage of pupils Number of pupils Percentage of pupils 
			 White 147,436 30.9 9,072 17.3 
			 Mixed 5,173 28.7 642 17.9 
			 Asian 11,053 26.0 2,333 21.4 
			 Black 6,006 24.9 1,506 20.4 
			 Chinese 659 29.5 52 24.2 
			 Other(4) 3,800 27.4 626 19.9 
			 Total 174,127 30.1 14,131 18.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number and percentage of pupils  (1, 2)   achieving an A*-C grade in GCSE history by ethnicity and FSM eligibility in 2009/10 
			  Pupils achieving an A*-C grade in GCSE history 
			  All pupils Pupils eligible for FSM 
			 Ethnicity Number of pupils Percentage of pupils Number of pupils Percentage of pupils 
			 White 99,301 20.8 3,661 7.0 
			 Mixed 3,497 19.4 313 8.7 
			 Asian 7,653 18.0 1,305 12.5 
			 Black 3,617 15.0 789 10.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Chinese 571 25.5 33 15.3 
			 Other(4) 2,579 18.6 344 10.9 
			 Total 117,218 20.3 6,445 8.3 
			 (1) Pupils attending maintained schools (including Academies and CTCs). (2) Number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. (3) FSM eligibility taken from the 2010 Spring School Census (January 2010). (4) Includes pupils of any other ethnic group and for whom ethnicity was not obtained, refused or could not be determined. Source: National Pupil Database (final data) 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Number and percentage of students  (1, 2 )  entering A-level history by ethnicity and FSM eligibility  (3)   in 2009/10 
			  Students entering A-level history 
			  All students Students eligible for FSM 
			 Ethnicity Number of students Percentage of students Number of students Percentage of students 
			 White 30,984 11.6 728 5.8 
			 Mixed 946 9.7 62 5.0 
			 Asian 1,615 5.9 221 4.1 
			 Black 907 6.5 140 4.8 
			 Chinese 123 5.6 10 5.3 
			 Other(4) 1,210 5.6 84 4.1 
			 Total 35,785 10.5 1,245 5.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: Number and percentage of pupils  (1, 2)   achieving an A*-C grade in A-level history by ethnicity and FSM eligibility  (3)   2009/10 
			  Students achieving an A*-C grade in A-level History 
			  All students Students eligible for FSM 
			 Ethnicity Number of students Percentage of students Number of students Percentage of students 
			 White 24,023 9.0 486 3.9 
			 Mixed 757 7.8 46 3.7 
			 Asian 1,225 4.4 153 2.8 
			 Black 661 4.7 102 3.5 
			 Chinese 98 4.4 7 3.7 
			 Other' 992 4.6 61 3.0 
			 Total 27,756 8.1 855 3.5 
			 (1) Maintained schools and FE sector colleges only. Students taking A levels in independent schools are not included. (2) Students entered for a GCE or Applied GCE A level or other Level 3 qualification equivalent in size to an A level and aged 16-18 at the start of the 2009/10 academic year i.e. 31 August 2009. (3) Students eligible for free school meals at the end of year 11. (4) Includes students of any other ethnic group and for whom ethnicity or first language was not obtained, refused or could not be determined. Source: National Pupil Database (final data)

Schools: Assessments

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the ranking of examination boards in respect of examination question errors made in 2011;
	(2)  what reasons he has received from Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) for errors contained in the A-level physics examination paper of June 2011;
	(3)  on what date Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) informed Ofqual that they had checked their examination paper questions for errors;
	(4)  on what dates he received assurances from Ofqual that there were no further errors in examination questions for exams taken in summer 2011;
	(5)  how many errors in examination questions prepared by each examination board were corrected following an intervention by Ofqual in June 2011.

Nick Gibb: The errors that have come to light in GCSEs and A Levels examination papers are extremely serious and are unacceptable. I can confirm that Ofqual has now announced that they are carrying out an inquiry to discover the causes of these errors. A copy of this inquiry will be placed in the House Libraries. The aims of the inquiry are to:
	Establish the facts and find out the root causes of the errors;
	Inform decisions about further regulatory action relating to the errors;
	Consider how effectively the awarding bodies have communicated with candidates, schools, colleges and other stakeholders;
	Identify any improvements necessary in awarding bodies' procedures; and
	Consider arrangements for risk management and redress that should be used in the future and any implications for regulatory arrangements.
	The inquiry will take into account information and views that Ofqual has already received from sources including exam candidates, schools and colleges, parents and student representatives.
	Separate from the inquiry, the regulators will continue their work to monitor the actions being taken by the awarding bodies to make sure that candidates who have faced exam paper errors this summer are, as far as possible, not unfairly disadvantaged or advantaged.
	I have asked Ofqual to write directly to the hon. Member, to provide the detail requested. A copy of their reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Departmental Billing

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many late payments his Department has made to contractors in each year since 1997-98; and what the total cost to the public purse was of any (a) penalty and (b) interest charges incurred.

Simon Burns: The Department operates standard contractual payment terms of 30-days and any payments that are delayed beyond that date may be subject to interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. The Act states that suppliers who are not paid within 30-days of the receipt of the invoice by the party billed are entitled to claim interest on the delayed payment at a rate of 8% above the Bank of England base reference rate. Penalty payments may be due where a small or medium sized business obtains a ruling that any contract terms that were applied were grossly unfair.
	Details of the penalty and interest charges paid by the Department in each financial year since 1997-98 are given in the following table. Data is only available from 2001-02 when the Department introduced an Oracle based finance system (Vista), which allowed for such payment information to be collected.
	
		
			  Number of late payments Penalty charges (£) Interest   c  harges (£) 
			 1997-98 n/a 0 0 
			 1998-99 n/a 0 0 
			 1999-2000 n/a 0 0 
			 2000-01 n/a 0 0 
			 2001-02 19,791 0 0 
			 2002-03 17,412 0 0 
			 2003-04 12,332 0 0 
			 2004-05 21,802 0 0 
			 2005-06 11,209 0 0 
			 2006-07 9,929 135,000 0 
			 2007-08 1,953 0 0 
			 2008-09 1,161 0 91 
			 2009-10 1,855 0 0 
			 2010-11 1,525 0 183 
		
	
	It should be noted that this data covers all payments made by the Department and therefore includes both commercial and non-commercial suppliers. No separate analysis of ‘contractor’ payments is available.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was to the public purse of (a) line rental, (b) insurance and (c) handset purchase of (i) mobile telephones and (ii) BlackBerrys provided to staff in his Department in each year since 1997-98.

Simon Burns: The Department is unable to provide the information for the entire period requested or in the format required without incurring disproportionate cost. The following table provides details of the total amount spent on mobile phone services from 2006-07 to 2010-11.
	Included within these total costs are handset and line rental contracts, call and data charges for both mobile phone and Blackberry devices, together with 3G data cards. The Department does not pay insurance for mobile handsets.
	
		
			 Mobile telephony expenditure 2006  -  11 
			 Financial year Total costs (£) 
			 2006-07 780,987 
			 2007-08 760,973 
			 2008-09 897,002 
			 2009-10 982,239 
			 2010-11 687,193

Air Travel Trust Fund

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of capital reserves held by the Air Travel Trust Fund; and if he will take account of this assessment as part of his consultation of the future of the ATOL scheme;
	(2)  what recent advice he has received on the future level of ATOL Protection Contributions;
	(3)  whether he plans to reassess the timetable for the Air Travel Trust Fund to return to surplus; and if he will take account of any such reassessment as part of his consultation on the future of the ATOL scheme.

Theresa Villiers: On 23 June 2011, the Government announced their consultation on reforms to the ATOL scheme, with the objective of providing greater clarity for consumers and also to put the scheme's finances back on a self-sustaining basis.
	The Air Travel Trust Fund (ATTF) meets the costs of refunds and repatriation assistance provided to the consumers of insolvent ATOL licensed businesses. It is financed through a mix of income from ATOL Protection Contributions (APC—currently £2.50 per booking), bank facilities and an insurance policy. Underpinning this, the Government have provided a guarantee for part of the bank facilities, currently up to £42 million. These arrangements provide access to £70 million which should be sufficient to meet all demands placed on the fund. The insurance policy has an annual limit of £300 million, with an excess of £50 million, available in the event of the failure of one or more major ATOL licensed businesses.
	There are no plans to increase the APC, which would require prior consultation by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and approval by the Secretary of State for Transport.
	The latest published accounts of the ATTF show that it was in deficit of £42.3 million as of 31 March 2011. The CAA believes that the ATTF should return to surplus within three years of the proposed reforms being introduced. The actual timing depends on factors such as the cost of future insolvencies of ATOL licensed businesses and the actual income from APC payments, both of which are difficult to predict with certainty. The proposed reforms should allow the Government guarantee to be withdrawn and the fund to return to a fully financially self-sustaining basis without the need for taxpayer support.

Channel Tunnel: Contracts

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to Eurotunnel for (a) usage contracts and (b) back-to-back contracts in each year since the opening of the channel tunnel.

Theresa Villiers: All payments made from the British Railways Board (BRB) to Eurotunnel relate to the Channel Tunnel Rail Usage Contract. Eurotunnel is not a party to the associated UK-side back-to-back contract so receives no payments through it.
	The British Railways Board (BRB) is the UK “rail” party to the Channel Tunnel Rail Usage Contract (RUC contractual payments are made on BRB's behalf by the Department for Transport (DFT). It then receives a refund from the UK-side RUC passenger operator (Eurostar) under the terms of the back-to-back contract. Different arrangements apply to rail freight. Here DFT pays what is—in effect—the fixed element of the RUC charges with no refund being payable from the freight operators. This arrangement is the subject of an agreement struck in 2006 which both kept freight trains running through the channel tunnel and opened up rail freight access on the route.
	Payments under these agreements since 2008-09 are set out in the following table. Figures for prior years are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Financial year D  F  T payments to Eurotunnel under Rail Usage Contract (RUC) Eurost  ar payments to   D  F  T under back-to-back agreement Net payment to Eurotunnel 
			 2008-09 100.8 94 6.8 
			 2009-10 107.4 99.5 7.9 
			 2010-11 180.4 159.8 20.6

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from his Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Norman Baker: Between 14 May 2010 and 13 May 2011 the Department for Transport delivered a non-weather corrected reduction of 11.2% in carbon dioxide emissions from its office estate. Under the Green Government commitments, it is now committed to deliver a 25% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2014-15.
	It is estimated that from the office estate for June 2010 the Department for Transport non-weather corrected emissions amounted to some 1,545 tonnes carbon dioxide.
	The Department for Transport is still collating and validating its emission data for June 2011.

Departmental Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regulations his Department has introduced (a) in the six months prior to 1 September 2010 and (b) in the six months after 1 September 2010 which it has determined do not impose costs on businesses.

Michael Penning: There were 32 statutory instruments made in the six months prior to 1 September 2010 that imposed no costs on business (21 of these were made by the previous Administration).
	There were 29 statutory instruments made in the six months after 1 September 2010 that imposed no costs on business.
	The Government's policy is to consider alternatives to regulation. A list of regulatory measures introduce in the first half of 2011 can be found in the Statement of New Regulation in the Libraries of the House.
	Local and temporary regulations have not been considered for the purposes of this answer as doing so could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Regulation

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department has (a) introduced and (b) removed since 1 September 2010; what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was; and what regulations have been excluded from the one-in one-out system because they address (i) emergencies and (ii) systemic financial risks since 1 September 2010.

Michael Penning: Four statutory instruments were made by the Department in the period September 2010 to June 2011 (inclusive) which imposed costs on business, charities or the voluntary or public sector. Of the four, three had an overall net benefit. The other imposed an overall net cost.
	Although it is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, to break down the costs as between business, charities and the voluntary or public sector for each of the instruments, I set out in the following table the four instruments giving general comments on whom, on the basis of the impact assessments prepared for the instruments, the costs were expected to fall.
	
		
			 Title Comment No Origin Net cost  (£ million) Net benefit (£ million) 
			 Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) and Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 Cost mainly on suppliers 2010 No. 3035 EU 357 — 
			 Mandatory Travel Concession (England) Regulations 2011 Costs on bus operators—benefits are to Government and travel concession authorities. There is a net cost to bus operators of £0.004 million 2011 No. 1121 Domestic — 0.65 
			 Airports Slot Allocation (Amendment) Regulations 2011 Costs to airports, savings to airlines and passengers 2011 No. 1610 Domestic — 11.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Cleaner Road Transport Vehicles Regulations 2011 Net costs to business are estimated to be small. Level of both costs and benefits very uncertain 2011 No. 1631 EU — 421 
		
	
	In total, the four instruments have a net cost of £357 million and a net benefit of £432.75 million giving an overall net benefit of £75.75 million.
	Nine statutory instruments were revoked in their entirety during this period as were articles 4 to 7 of the Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) Harbour Revision (Constitution) Order 2001. The instrument making this latter change also repealed section 14 of the Pier and Harbour Orders (Cowes and Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) Confirmation Act 1931.
	Six of the measures revoked were originally made (or in the case of the 1931 Act, passed) before the system for publishing impact assessments was put in place. Providing further information in relation to the costs of these measures could only be done at disproportionate cost. The other five measures were made when the system of publishing impact assessments was in place but no impact assessment was prepared for them, so it may be assumed that these measures were thought to have no impact on business.
	Local and temporary instruments have not been considered for the purposes of answering this question as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.
	The one-in, one-out regulatory management system, although announced in September, did not come into force until January 2011.
	A list of regulatory measures introduced or removed in the first half of 2011 can be found in the Statement of New Regulation in the Libraries of the House.
	No regulations were excluded from the one-in one-out system because they addressed emergencies or systemic financial risks.

East Coast Railway Line: Franchises

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of employment in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency and (b) the North East of the award of the customer contact centre contract for the east coast main line rail franchise to Intelenet and Atos Origin; and whether he has discussed this decision with (i) Directly Operated Railways Ltd and (ii) ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Norman Baker: DOR, and its subsidiary east coast main line operate the East Coast franchise as independent limited companies. When agreement for continued efficient supply of customer contact centre services could not be reached with their previous supplier, National Express Services Ltd, East Coast took the decision to let the contract under a competitive tender process in accordance with EU legislation.
	The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), is not party to this process, but is supportive of initiatives to improve efficiency and quality while reducing the cost of the railway to the passenger and the taxpayer. The decision to award the contract to Intelenet sees the creation of jobs in Plymouth and the West Midlands.

Employment: Disability

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disabled people are being supported in employment in his Department under its Access to Work programme.

Norman Baker: The Department provides reasonable adjustments to employees according to need. There are currently 1621 employees who have declared themselves to be disabled working in the DFT central and Agencies. The DFT and most other civil service Departments do not use the Access to Work programme to provide assistance to disabled employees.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had on the planned changes to (a) Euston, (b) Birmingham Interchange and (c) Birmingham Curzon Street station as a result of High Speed 2; and which companies have indicated an interest in bidding for each project.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 11 July 2011
	No such discussions on commercial matters have taken place. As the Department is currently consulting the public on the principle of High Speed Two (HS2) and is yet to seek powers from Parliament, it would be inappropriate at this stage to conduct discussions of a commercial nature about the four stations proposed for a London to the west midlands high speed link. Similarly, no inquiries or expressions of interest have been received in relation to submitting bids for construction work at HS2 stations.
	Operational discussions have taken place with Network Rail about various aspects of the proposed high speed rail network.
	It should be noted that there are currently no stations at the sites of the proposed Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street stations.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of uninsured drivers in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: We estimate that from a comparison of the Motor Insurance Database operated by the Motor Insurer's Bureau (MIB) and the DVLA's vehicles' database that around 1.4 million vehicles are uninsured. This figure has remained constant for the past three years but is a reduction from an estimated 2 million in 2005.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the safety of motorists of changes in the periodicity of MOT tests;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effects on levels of private sector employment of changes to the periodicity of MOT tests;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the effects on level of fatalities on roads of changes to the periodicity of MOT tests;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the effects on Exchequer revenues of changes to the periodicity of MOT tests.

Michael Penning: I intend to review the MOT test scheme. I want to make sure that a review takes account of all the latest information available to us. To that end, we have recently published the results of independent research the Department commissioned to examine how vehicle defects affect accident rates, and to consider the potential road safety impact of changing the frequency of the MOT. The ‘Effect of Vehicle Defects in Road Accidents’ report can be found at:
	http://www.trl.co.uk/library/reports_publications/latest_publications/
	This research will be a useful addition to other information we intend to gather through the review process, including the impacts on garages and private sector employment, and the effect on Exchequer revenues.

National Security Council

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role and responsibilities he has in relation to the National Security Council; and what recent contribution he has made to its work.

Philip Hammond: I am not a member of the National Security Council (NSC) but attend as necessary to discuss Transport Security related issues.
	The work of the National Security Council is not made public for security reasons.
	Further information on NSC, is available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/national-security-council/

Newton Station: Disability

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the disabled access to Newton rail station.

Norman Baker: holding answer 18 July 2011
	In 2009 the Department provided financial support to ATOC to carry out full access audits of every station in Great Britain, including Newton. This was for use with the "Stations Made Easy" application on the National Rail website which now has full details of all access features at stations, including a map and photographs, allowing. disabled passengers to better plan their journey.

Piracy

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department offers to (a) UK-registered vessels and (b) British seafarers operating in areas where a security threat from piracy has been identified.

Michael Penning: Piracy is a particular problem off the coast of Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden, and in the wider Indian Ocean. My Department strongly encourages all UK flagged ships transiting this area to follow Best Management Practices. BMP is industry developed guidance on the steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of ships being pirated.
	Ships are reminded of the importance of registering with Maritime Security Centre—Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) prior to entering the area; and reporting to UKMTO on entering the voluntary reporting area, and on a daily basis thereafter.
	Shipping companies should also follow the advice included in Marine Guidance Note 420 (MGN420) which complements that in BMP
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga-notice.htm?textobjid=F7FC6BD38765050D
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also published advice to British seafarers about the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/staying-safe/river-safety/indian-ocean-piracy

Ports: Finance

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department has provided for port infrastructure in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Michael Penning: holding answer 18 July 2011
	No general funding has been provided by the Department for Transport to the ports industry in the past 10 years.
	The following freight facilities grants (FFG) have been provided, by region and nation:
	Yorkshire and the Humber:
	DFDS Tor Line Ltd was awarded a FFG in November 2002 for £382,480, to support the cost of facilities at the DFDS Nordic terminal at the Port of Immihgham.
	Associated British Ports was awarded a FFG of £725,139 in February 2003 for improved rail facilities at the Port of Goole.
	South East:
	Associated British Ports was awarded £615,881 in October 2001 for a loading shovel and conveyor at the Port of Southampton.
	South West:
	Associated British Ports was awarded a FFG of £131,892 for a storage shed in March 2005 at Teignmouth.
	Scotland:
	Forth Ports was awarded £10,968,529 in January 2002 for a freight handling facility in Rosyth.

Railways: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to train operating companies and Network Rail on bidding for funding from the Station Commercial Project Facility.

Theresa Villiers: The Department of Transport has approved Network Rail to use £100 million of its Regulatory Asset Base funding facility for station improvement projects.
	Network Rail is programme managing and administrating the Station Commercial Project Facility. Therefore, the Department has not issued any guidance to train operating companies or Network Rail on bidding for funding from the Station Commercial Project Facility.
	However, Network Rail has issued detailed guidance to potential bidders, including operators, through a set of documents. These include guidance notes, an investment proposal application form, business case summary and a commercial, funding and delivery principles document.
	These documents are available through the Network Rail Website at:
	www.networkrail.co.uk/SCPF
	Network Rail also issued press releases to both the rail industry and local authority press in mid-April to announce this fund formally.

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions attributable by UK-registered shipping in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions attributable to shipping.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport does not estimate the carbon dioxide emissions attributable to UK-registered shipping, as there currently is no internationally agreed mechanism for assigning emissions to specific states.
	The Government are playing an active role in the International Maritime Organization's work on technical, operational and market based measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from shipping on a global basis. The UK is also working with the European Commission and other member states to develop a proposal for effective regional action in the event that no international measure has been agreed by the end of 2011.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what importance was attributed to bogie design in the evaluation of bids for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project; and what processes were employed to verify statements made by the bidders.

Theresa Villiers: Bidders were required to provide a complete technical description of the Unit concept design, giving a comprehensive description of the vehicle and subsystem design.
	The vehicle and subsystem design, including the bogie design, were evaluated against the Train Technical Specification (TTS) criteria contained in Section 3 and Appendix K of the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project Invitation to Tender (ITT) dated 27 November 2008, a copy of which is available on the DFT website.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what importance was attributed to train weight in the evaluation of bids for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project.

Theresa Villiers: The importance attributed to the train weight is identified in Table K3 ‘Train Technical Specification scoring matrix’, contained within Appendix K to the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project Invitation to Tender, dated 27 November 2008, a copy of which is available on the DFT website.
	In addition train weight influences the energy consumption and on-going track maintenance costs, which have been assessed as part of the evaluation process.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons ALSTOM Transport was eliminated from the competition for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project.

Theresa Villiers: The procurement process has not yet concluded, consequently the details of the bid are confidential to Alstom and the Department.

Transport: Olympic Games 2012

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what agreements his Department has reached with the Mayor of London on traffic reduction targets for the period of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Theresa Villiers: The ODA has statutory responsibility for traffic reduction at Games time. My officials are working with the Mayor and the ODA on traffic reduction measures.
	Transport for London (TfL), through the Travel Advice to Business Programme, is currently working with businesses across London and other affected locations to encourage them to consider the impact the Games might have on commuters and business travel, as well as business operations such as freight and deliveries.
	As part of this preparation, TfL is actively encouraging businesses to check on the website:
	www.london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness
	to see if they are in areas affected by the Games and start making Games time travel plans, including considering implementation of measures such as working from home, changing the time of travel or considering changing the way they travel.

Apprentices

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the apprenticeship starts in the 2010-11 academic year to date have been delivered through apprenticeship training agencies or other third parties.

John Hayes: From the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) we can estimate apprenticeship starts through the Government funded Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) and Group Training Association (GTA) pilots. These show 2,930 recorded Apprenticeship starts between 1 August 2010 and 30 April. There will additionally be a small number of starts which we do not have records for, at ATAs who were not part of the pilot scheme.
	The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) also works with GTA England, which represents a number of existing GTAs. They delivered an estimated 5,600 Apprenticeship starts between 1 August 2010 and 30 April.
	These data are provisional and are subject to change as more complete data becomes available from providers.

Bombardier

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance his Department plans to provide to businesses in the Bombardier supply chain.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Secretary of State announced on 5 July the creation of an Economic Response Task Force to fully understand and mitigate the economic impact of job losses at Bombardier, its supply chain and the local communities.
	Further the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), have asked their officials to work together with the sector and key delivery partners, such as UK Trade and Investment, to support the train manufacturing sector and the wider rail supply chain in securing more sustainable UK jobs through clearly identified business opportunities such as the Intercity Express Programme, Crossrail and High Speed 2.
	Additionally the Department's Solution's for Business offers a range of publically funded products and services designed to help businesses to overcome key challenges and UK Trade and Investment explore export opportunities.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from his Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011.

Edward Davey: The carbon dioxide emissions from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills were:
	In June 2010: 503.97 tonnes;
	In June 2011: 348.7 tonnes.
	Note
	These figures are not weather corrected.

Departmental Photographs

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has spent on ministerial photoshoots and videos since May 2010.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business does all ministerial photo shoots and videos in-house. Since May 2010 no money has been spent with external suppliers on such services.
	Video and photography work is carried out by two BIS staff members. The total amount of work adds up to approximately one full-time equivalent.
	All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

EU Grants and Loans

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many consortia made bids made to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011; how many such consortia contained a UK business; how many companies there were within each consortium; how many UK companies were within each consortium; what the monetary value of each bid was; and how each bid was ranked by the Eurostars programme evaluation;
	(2)  how many consortia containing UK businesses funded by the Technology Strategy Board made bids made to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011; how many UK businesses there were within consortia funded by the Board; how many consortia which scored highly enough to be funded by the programme were not funded by the Board; and how many businesses there were in each such consortium;
	(3)  how much his Department allocated to the Technology Strategy Board to fund bids to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011;
	(4)  what proportion of the sums bid by consortia in the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011 related to consortia containing UK companies which subsequently scored highly enough to secure funding;
	(5)  how many consortia containing UK companies which prepared bids to the bidding round of the Eureka Eurostars programme which closed on 24 March 2011 scored highly enough to be funded by the programme but were not subsequently funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

David Willetts: Eureka Eurostars is a programme for research performing SMEs and involves funding from 32 countries as well as funding from the European Commission. In the UK, the Technology Strategy Board is responsible for its delivery.
	The Department provides an overall budget provision to the Technology Strategy Board and within that overall provision the Technology Strategy Board decides how much to allocate to Eureka Eurostars. The Technology Strategy Board has a range of calls on its budget and all of the programmes it operates are heavily oversubscribed. The current Eureka Eurostars budget is £3 million per annum which attracts 25% funding from the European Commission making a total annual budget of £3.75 million. The funding is evenly spread over the two Eureka Eurostars calls held annually in March and September.
	For the bidding round of Eureka Eurostars which closed on 24 March 2011, a total of 402 consortia bids were received involving 1,301 businesses and academia from 36 different countries. There was an overall rise of 17% in the number of applications compared to the previous bidding round.
	Of the 402 consortia bids, 85 involved UK participants. The number of companies in each consortium ranged from one to 11 with some projects also involving academia. The maximum number of UK companies in any one consortium was two and, in total, the 85 bids involved 97 UK companies and 151 partners from other Eurostars member countries. Looking at the total project cost, the bids involving UK organisations ranged from €199,000 to €6.3 million.
	The Technology Strategy Board is planning on supporting seven consortia bids which involve nine UK companies. In addition, there is one bid which contains a UK university which is funding its own participation. There were a further 23 consortia bids containing 24 UK companies above the quality threshold which, if UK and in some instances funding from other Eurostars countries had been available, could have also been funded. Of the 23 consortia bids which could not be funded, 22 of the bids contained one UK company and one bid contained two UK companies.
	The total project costs for all 402 applications was €550 million. The total project costs for the 30 projects involving UK companies which were above the quality threshold, and therefore scored high enough to be considered suitable for funding, was €39.9 million. The UK grant funding requested by the UK companies in the 30 consortia bids was €7.45 million.
	The ranking of individual bids is not made publically available as it could impact on the commercial standing of the companies involved.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage local enterprise partnerships to assist small and medium-sized enterprises to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas with potential environmental benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Local enterprise partnerships (LEPS) are developed from the bottom-up and it is for LEPs themselves to decide what their priorities are. The Government’s expectation are that LEPS will work closely with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in deciding these priorities. Where LEPs are interested in assisting SMEs to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas with potential environmental benefit, then the Government will work with them to do so.

Metals: Research

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support rare earth and minerals research.

David Willetts: holding answer 13 July 2011
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not directly provide universities or research institutes with funding for rare earth and minerals research. However, the Department provides funding to the Research Councils, HEFCE and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which provide a range of support to researchers and scientists.
	As part of the evidence I gave to the Science and Technology Committee on 2 March 2011 concerning strategically important metals I explained how the Government has a responsibility through our excellent science and research base, and that if there are specific areas where more research is required then industry could advise the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
	NERC has an active mineral research programme. The British Geological Survey (BGS), a NERC Centre, has monitored global metal production and trade for almost 100 years. Through its ‘Metals and Minerals for Environmental Technology’ project, BGS carries out research in the UK and overseas, in conjunction with academia and industry, on the Earth processes and properties that produce mineral deposits, on novel resources for environmental technology (initially focusing on rare earths) and on new mineral exploration technology.
	The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's (EPSRC) current portfolio of investment in metallurgical, ceramic and photonic materials research, all make use of rare earth metals and minerals. The EPSRC also funds research and has a key strategic interest in the area of materials efficiency and materials scarcity.
	The Technology Strategy Board's forthcoming Supply Chain Innovation Collaborative R&D competition will help companies develop products and technologies that can mitigate materials security risks. In addition, the Technology Strategy Board funded Knowledge Transfer Networks have recently established a 'Special Interest Group' that aims to help businesses understand potential constraints on the availability of material resources.
	DEFRA published research in December 2010 looking at the resource risks to UK business, including rare earths, wider metals, minerals and other resources. The research has helped develop policy approaches in the recent review of waste policies in England and the Natural Environment White Paper.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has assessed the conclusions and recommendations of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Motor Group on future challenges and opportunities for the UK automobile industry of July 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The hon. Member has written to me on this subject and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable). I will respond to him shortly in writing.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

St George's Property Service London Limited

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the insolvency of St George's Property Service London Limited.

Edward Davey: Neither my the Secretary of State nor I are aware of recent representations received in respect of this company aside from the question raised by the hon. Member that I answered on 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 192W.

Superconductors: Research

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has conducted into the use of superconductors.

David Willetts: holding answer 11 July 2011
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provides funding to the Research Councils.
	The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has provided long term support for research into the study of superconductors. Currently the EPSRC portfolio for superconductivity represents 45 grants into UK academic institutions for a total value of £13 million.

Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1063W, on carbon emissions, whether the sources of low-carbon energy generation on its estate his Department is considering are to be manufactured in the UK.

Gregory Barker: The Department will consider a number of potential options for low-carbon energy generation on its estate over the course of this financial year but has not yet reached the stage of choosing specific manufacturers.

Coal

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received on the future of the coal industry (a) in Wales and (b) nationally.

Charles Hendry: Ministers and officials have regular meetings with the coal industry were a variety of issues are discussed including the future of the coal industry.

Community Energy Savings Programme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what companies are awaiting approval for Community Energy Savings Programme schemes.

Gregory Barker: The Community Energy Saving Programme places a carbon reduction obligation on the main energy supply companies and generators. All but one of the obligated companies currently have schemes with Ofgem awaiting approval.

Community Energy Savings Programme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of Community Energy Savings Programme schemes that will have been delivered by April 2012.

Gregory Barker: Energy companies are required to deliver the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) by December 2012. There are no interim targets within the overall period and no estimate has been made for the position in April 2012. Based on delivery of CESP to date, Ofgem estimates that 350-400 schemes will be delivered by the end of the programme.

Departmental Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has a policy on requirements for the provision of (a) apprenticeships and (b) other training by (i) his Department's prime contractors and (ii) suppliers in the supply chain of such contractors.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change's policy is to follow best practice guidance issued by the Government Procurement Service (previously known as the Office of Government Commerce) on the provision of apprenticeships and training by prime contractors and contractors in the supply chain. This guidance is set out in the document “Promoting Skills Through Public Procurement” which can be found at:
	http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Promoting_skills_through_public_procurement.pdf
	It requires procurement staff seek opportunities to promote skills training and apprenticeships in contracts wherever appropriate. Suppliers in the supply chain are expected to meet the same standards as prime contractors when working for the Department.

Departmental Apprentices

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many apprenticeships have been created directly by contracts with his Department in each of the last three years.

Gregory Barker: 2008-09 DECC was created in October 2008 and did not establish an apprenticeship programme.
	2009-10 DECC met its pre-agreed target of 10 Apprenticeships training programmes, including three new contracts created and recruited through the National Apprenticeship Service.
	2010-11 DECC met its pre-agreed target of five apprenticeships—all of which were new recruits (and contracts) through the National Apprenticeship Service.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have been (a) recruited and (b) made redundant from (i) his Department and (ii) each non-departmental body for which he is responsible since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: DECC has recruited 289 people since May 2010, this has resulted in a net increase of 150 (fte). The majority of people recruited into DECC are existing civil servants who have come from other Departments across Whitehall.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has recruited 11 people, the Civil Nuclear Police Authority has recruited 187 people, the Coal Authority has recruited six people and the Committee on Climate Change has recruited 6 people. DECC, the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, and the Committee on Climate Change have not made any people redundant since May 2010.
	The Coal Authority made 25 people redundant to 30 June 2011.
	74 staff left the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and received exit packages as set out in the 2010-11 Annual Report and Accounts.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on entertainment in the financial year (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is unable to separately identify entertainment costs for staff without incurring disproportionate costs. The Department's accounting system includes entertainment codes but the vast majority of expenditure recorded against these codes represents catering costs for meetings and events, some of which involve industry and external guests. Not ail catering costs, however, are recorded as entertainment. To identify non-catering elements within entertainment, and those costs that relate to staff, would involve scrutinising a large number of individual transactions.
	As recorded under this wider definition which includes catering and non-staff costs, entertainment expenditure was (a) £255,000 in 2009-10 and (b) £118,000 in 2010-11.

Natural Gas: Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the effects on the standard of living of low-income families of increases in gas prices.

Gregory Barker: Projections of fuel poverty are made at a National, all household level only, and are representative of prices from all suppliers.
	The recent changes in domestic energy prices, if mirrored across all suppliers, will lead to a small increase in the number of households in fuel poverty in 2011 and a larger impact in 2012, as the majority of the price changes will feed through to annual fuel bills in 2012. Latest projections of fuel poverty indicate that there will be around 4 million fuel poor households in England in 2010, and around 4.1 million in 2011. Projections for 2012 will be made and published in the Fuel Poverty Statistics Report next year.
	Nevertheless, the true effect will only be known when we have full information on price changes from all suppliers and data from the 2011 and 2012 English Housing Survey (EHS). The EHS provides vital information for calculating the level of fuel poverty, including the mix of domestic fuels used by households, the income of those living in the households and the energy efficiency of the housing stock.

North Sea Oil: Safety

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the industrial health and safety implications of recent reports on the number of (a) oil and (b) gas leaks from North Sea oil platforms in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010; if he will meet officials from the Health and Safety Executive to discuss such reports; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for regulating health and safety in the offshore oil and gas sector. In 2009-10 there were 187 hydrocarbon releases (liquid and gas) from offshore installations reported to HSE. Of these, two were classified as major, 83 as significant and 102 as minor. Provisional data from 2010-11 indicates that there were 168 releases, of which six were classified as major, 67 as significant and 95 as minor.
	Hydrocarbon releases are potential major hazard precursor events and a key indicator of how well the offshore industry is managing major hazard risks and asset integrity. HSE takes them very seriously and investigates all releases classified as significant and major to establish the root cause, assess compliance with legislation and ensure that the operator takes any necessary remedial action. Reducing the frequency of hydrocarbon releases is therefore a key priority for HSE, but this is not a new issue. The number of releases has reduced significantly since data was first collected in 1996/7. In that year there were 226 releases, of which 19 were major, 129 significant and 78 minor. However further reductions have proved harder to deliver in recent years. HSE has continued to challenge the Industry to do better and fully supports the industry target, agreed this year, to reduce hydrocarbon releases by 50% over the next three years. HSE expects all operators to draw up and implement plans to achieve that reduction.

North Sea Oil: Safety

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) oil and (b) gas leaks there were from North Sea oil platforms in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010.

Charles Hendry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State (Employment) to UIN 66257.